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The Biochemistry and Genetics of C1 Metabolism in the Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs

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Autotrophic Microbiology and One-Carbon Metabolism

Part of the book series: Advances in Autotrophic Microbiology and One-Carbon Metabolism ((AMOC,volume 1))

Abstract

Pink pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFMs) are capable of growth on reduced C1 compounds (methanol and usually also methylated amines and formate). Energy for growth is obtained from the oxidation of these substrates to CO2 and carbon is assimilated by the icl− variant of the serine pathway. Many isolates were originally considered to be pseudomonads, but now they have all been classified in the genus Methylobacterium (Green and Bousfield 1983; Green et al. 1988). Two of the PPFMs — Methylobacterium extorquens AMI (NCIB9133; formerly Pseudomonas AM1 or Methylobacterium AM1) and Methylobacterium organophilum — have been used to develop methods for the investigation of the genetics of methylotrophs. The aim of this review is to summarise this work and to demonstrate how it has enhanced our understanding not only of the genetics but also of the biochemistry of these organisms. There is some confusion concerning variants of Mb. organophilum; the strain deposited with The National Collection of Industrial Bacteria was designated Methylobacterium organophilum 11278 (XX ATCC27886 DSM760), but Allen and Hanson (1985) and Machlin et al. (1988) imply that they used two variants, namely XX and DSM760, in their work. These two strains appear to differ in some respects and in this review they will be distinguished when possible.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Cell and Molecular Biology, North East Surrey College of Technology, Reigate Road, Ewell, Surrey, KT17 3DS, UK

    P. M. Goodwin

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  1. P. M. Goodwin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University, Dundee, Scotland

    Geoff A. Codd

  2. University of Groningen, The Netherlands

    Lubbert Dijkhuizen

  3. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    F. Robert Tabita

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© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Goodwin, P.M. (1990). The Biochemistry and Genetics of C1 Metabolism in the Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs. In: Codd, G.A., Dijkhuizen, L., Tabita, F.R. (eds) Autotrophic Microbiology and One-Carbon Metabolism. Advances in Autotrophic Microbiology and One-Carbon Metabolism, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1978-5_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1978-5_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7384-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1978-5

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